Basketball Game Preview: Musselman Applemen vs. Martinsburg Bulldogs

Musselman and Martinsburg are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2021, but not for long. The Musselman Applemen will be playing in front of their home fans against the Martinsburg Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The timing isn't great for Musselman: they have been struggling with three straight losses at home, while Martinsburg has snatched up five consecutive wins on the road dating back to last season.

Musselman is headed into the matchup out to prove that what happened against Washington on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Musselman lost 71-48 to Washington. While losing is never fun, the Applemen can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' West Virginia basketball rankings (they are ranked 61st, while the Patriots are ranked 17th).

Meanwhile, Martinsburg earned a 69-60 victory over King's Christian Academy on Saturday.

Musselman's defeat dropped their record down to 2-8. As for Martinsburg, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 6-2 record this season.

Musselman came up short against Martinsburg in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, falling 54-48. Will Musselman have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.